Preventing Gum Disease

Gums are an essential part of having good dental health. They support a person’s teeth and tissue that keeps them with the bone. When an individual’s gums aren’t healthy, it poses a serious risk to their teeth and health. Avoiding gum disease is important. It is a bacterial infection. It can lead to chronic inflammation of a person’s gums and the nearby tissue.

Causes

Any individual who does not properly brush or floss their teeth is at risk for developing gum disease. A person’s risk of developing it increases if they use tobacco products. When a person has a family history of gum disease, as well as having a high level of stress in their life, their chances of developing it increase. Women who are pregnant have an increased chance of developing gum disease. The risk also increases for people who have diabetes as well as those who clench or grind their teeth. There are also some medications that will increase a person’s risk of developing gum disease. This includes heart medicines, birth control as well as antidepressants and others. It’s important for a person to make certain their dentist knows about the medications they are taking.

Developing Gum Disease

Gum disease in the early stages does not cause any pain. Gum disease in responsible for a majority of tooth loss with adults. It affects more than 79 percent of people at some time during their life. Gingivitis is the early stage of gum disease. Periodontitis is an advanced form of gum disease. It can progress slowly and soon reach an advanced stage before many people notice they have a problem. An individual with gum disease is also at a higher risk of developing heart disease or unhealthy blood sugar levels. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) conducted a study. It showed that approximately 46 percent of adults over the age of 30 have periodontitis. When individuals reach the age of 65 they have a 68 percent have periodontitis.

Symptoms

Gum disease usually occurs in areas of the mouth where people are not brushing or keeping clean. Bacteria will build up and develop a film on their teeth. The mouth will then react to the build-up of the bacteria. One of the initial symptoms is swelling of the gums. Other signs are bleeding of the gums while brushing or flossing, loose teeth, redness of the gums, constant bad breath, mouth sores and more.

Gum Disease Prevention At Home

The best way to have good oral health begins at home. It’s up to each individual to properly care for their teeth and gums. Everyone should brush for up three minutes twice a day. Using a fluoridated toothpaste is best. It is essential for everyone to carefully brush along their gum line. Daily flossing is also important. It will remove plaque from places a toothbrush can not reach. If a person struggles with flossing, they can use a floss holder. Bushing and flossing combined with a mouth rinse are effective. A good mouth rinse can significantly decrease the amount of plaque on a person’s teeth. Dental experts recommend people avoid starchy and sugary food. Eating these types of foods increases the development of plaque.

Scaling and Root Planning

When a person has a dental cleaning, it is good for the visible portion of their teeth. Scaling and root planning are a special dental cleaning procedure. It is able to eliminate the tartar and plaque from under a person’s gum line. This procedure smooths the root surfaces and leads to healing. A scaling and root cleaning is the only method to effectively remove tartar and plaque from certain areas of the mouth. There are certain situations where antimicrobials, as well as antibiotics, can be utilized to enhance the results of scaling and root planning. When gum disease is in its early stages, daily oral hygiene combined with scaling and root planing are very effective at reversing the development of gum disease.

Surgical Treatments

POCKET DEPTH REDUCTION

When a person has the advanced stages of periodontitis, they may need to consider a surgical procedure to remedy it. A pocket depth reduction procedure is effective. A dentist will open the gum tissue that is affected by the disease. They will remove the calculus and bacteria build-up. In some situations, the affected gum tissue will require recontouring and smoothing of the damaged bone and root surface. During the healing process, gum tissue becomes reattached to the healthy bone. After this procedure, the gum tissue will be repositioned. This will make it easier to keep clean.

REGENERATION

During this procedure, a dentist will treat affected gum tissue similar to a pocket depth reduction. During regeneration, they will do a procedure that utilizes membrane tissue-stimulating proteins or bone grafts. This procedure is effective in simulating a body’s natural ability to create healthy gum tissue and bone.

SOFT TISSUE GRAFTS

During this procedure, a dentist will remove healthy gum tissue from the palate or other areas of a person’s mouth. The removed tissue will then be used to cover any exposed root surfaces in their gum line.